Chapter 11. Brothers
by Foreigner ยท 2026-08-21
Two weeks have passed.
Three sections of the city wall have been filled in.
The area where the gate used to be still had dirt, stones, and carts left as they were. New wood was needed to construct a new gate, but the wood had to come from the west, and someone had to go to the west to get it.
No one has gone yet.
Gihun wandered around the castle during those two weeks.
He had never gone out alone.
Erarion: My lord, you shouldn't be wandering around like this yet. The human body is part of nature, and mana needs to flow naturally for good health, but your body is in a state where mana is extremely twisted due to a great shock, you know? The master says that in such cases, you need to rest for at least a month, and if you don't, when you get older...
Aron: Erarion.
Erarion: Yes!
Gihun stopped walking.
And he pulled out an orc's face from Aron's memory.
He took it out and mimicked it.
Aron: If you quietly don't follow me...
Erarion: ......
Aron: Your mana will also be twisted.
Erarion shut his mouth.
For the first time that day, Gihun took a quiet walk.
As the walk was coming to an end, Erarion spoke.
Erarion: But there is no magic that twists mana, you know?
The garrison was filling in the city wall.
Gihun went over and picked up a stone.
It was a stone that four soldiers were moving together.
Gihun lifted it alone.
Soldier: ......
Aron: ......
The four looked at him.
Receiving their gaze, Gihun moved the stone.
After moving it, he said nothing.
The four said nothing either.
From that day on, Gihun got involved in the work on the city wall.
There were two low-ranking soldiers.
Greon and Hereid.
Hereid: My lord.
Hereid said.
Hereid: Isn't that heavy?
Aron: It's heavy.
Hereid: But why are you carrying it?
Aron: It is heavy, but I can lift it.
Hereid looked at Greon.
Greon shrugged his shoulders.
Greon carried a halberd with him.
He kept it beside him even while working on the city walls.
Aron: Why do you carry that around?
Gihun asked.
Greon: It's a habit.
Aron: Is there anyone else in the garrison who uses a halberd?
Greon: It's just me.
Aron: Why is that?
Greon: It's the only thing left in the storage.
Gihun looked at Greon's hand.
There were several scars on the back of his hand. They were cuts from a blade. They were old.
'.......'
They weren't scars from an orc.
Gihun recognized that.
After realizing it, he didn't ask anything.
On the third day, Greon disappeared.
Aron: Where did Greon go?
Hereid: I don't know.
Hereid said.
Aron: He was over there a moment ago.
Hereid: He was over there.
Aron: But...
Hereid: He's gone.
Hereid picked up a stone.
Hereid: It's been like this for ten years.
Thirty minutes later, Greon appeared.
Gihun asked.
Aron: Where have you been?
Greon: ......
Aron: Mr. Greon.
Greon: My lord.
Greon raised his halberd.
Greon: There are things in this world that are better left unasked.
Gihun liked that saying.
The problem was the title.
It was from the seventh day that the people started calling him my lord.
The beginning was with the lord.
When Gihun was called to the office, the lord was standing by the window.
A cat was sitting on the windowsill.
The lord: Aron.
Aron: Yes.
The lord: What is your surname?
Gihun paused for a moment.
Aron: ...Erseneus.
The lord was not surprised.
He nodded his head.
The lord: I thought so.
Aron: ...Did you know?
The lord: I didn't know.
The lord turned away from the window.
The lord: But when I first saw you, I thought you had a familiar face.
Aron: ......
My lord: It resembled the face I saw about 40 years ago.
Gihun took three seconds to understand those words.
Aron: My father.
My lord: I have met him.
The young lord sat down.
My lord: I was around thirty, and he was about twenty. He said he was on a martial arts training journey.
Aron: ......
My lord: He stayed in this castle for three days. No, how many days was it?
Aron: ......
My lord: It was three days. Three days.
Gihun couldn't say anything.
My lord: At that time, he showed me his swordsmanship once.
The young lord said.
My lord: I haven't seen anything faster than that in 40 years.
'.......'
Gihun's heart felt strangely pressed.
He was a man he had never met.
Aron: My lord.
My lord: Yes.
Aron: He was.
My lord: ......
Aron: What kind of person was he?
The young lord thought for a moment.
My lord: He was silent.
Aron: ......
My lord: He probably spoke about twenty words during the three days.
Aron: ......
My lord: He said just one thing when he was leaving.
Aron: What did he say?
My lord: He said, "Thank you."
Gihun laughed.
His laughter sounded a bit strange.
From that evening, the castle changed.
The soldiers called him my lord.
They bowed their heads as he passed by.
When he ate, the seat next to him was empty.
Gihun found that very uncomfortable.
The most uncomfortable was Bedrun.
Bedrun: My lord.
Aron: ......
Bedrun: You can stop with the castle walls for today.
Aron: ......
Bedrun: Rest.
Gihun looked at him.
Just three days ago, this man had patted his back.
Aron: Sir Bedrun.
Bedrun: Yes, my lord.
Aron: It feels like I got slapped.
Bedrun: What?
Aron: No.
That night, Gihun went to find Bedrun.
Bedrun was on the wall.
He had always been there.
Aron.: My lord.
Bedrun.: Yes, my lord.
Aron.: Stop that.
Bedrun.: ......
Aron.: My lord.
Bedrun looked at him.
Bedrun.: Then what should I call you?
Aron.: Aron.
Bedrun.: ......That won't do.
Aron.: Why not?
Bedrun looked down at the wall.
Bedrun.: I am a commoner.
Aron.: I know.
Bedrun.: No commoner calls the child of a duke by name.
Aron.: ......
Bedrun.: It's not about whether I live or die.
Bedrun said.
Bedrun.: That's just how it is.
Gihun thought about that for a moment.
Aron.: Then how about this?
Bedrun.: What is it?
Aron.: Call me brother.
Bedrun looked at Gihun.
Bedrun.: ......Yes?
Aron.: I will call you brother.
Bedrun.: My lord.
Aron.: I am sixteen, and my lord is forty.
Bedrun.: I am forty-two.
Aron.: Then you are not a brother but an uncle.
Bedrun.: ......
Aron.: Let's call each other brother.
Bedrun was silent for a while.
Bedrun.: My lord.
Aron.: Yes.
Bedrun.: I have never done anything like this before.
Aron.: ......
Bedrun.: The only noble I know is my lord.
Aron.: ......
Bedrun.: He is the only one I know who is forty-two.
Gihun leaned his arms on the wall.
Aron.: Then that's good.
Bedrun.: What is?
Aron.: I have never called anyone brother either.
Bedrun did not respond that night.
The next morning, he answered.
Bedrun.: Aron.
Gihun turned his head.
Aron.: Yes.
Bedrun.: Did you eat?
Erarion heard that from the side.
Erarion: Garrison captain! That is not acceptable! My lord is the only heir of the Erseneus family, which means he is a branch of the royal family, so according to etiquette, you must kneel and address him, and you absolutely cannot call him by name.
Bedrun: Erarion.
Erarion: Yes!
Bedrun struck him on the head.
Bedrun: Take a breath.
The people of the castle accepted that after three days.
They didn't just accept it; they liked it.
That the garrison captain called the young lord by name was a point of pride in this castle.
Beliston had been calling Gihun for ten days.
The old man's house was in a corner inside the castle walls.
There was a room attached to the right side of the house, and that was the study.
As Gihun entered, a smell hit him.
It was the smell of paper.
'.......'
Gihun stood there for a moment.
Aron's memory brought something forth.
It was Heinz's library.
Gihun pushed it away.
Beliston: Take a seat.
Beliston took out the box.
It was a wooden box.
He opened it.
It was empty inside.
Beliston: There were six of them.
The old man said.
Aron: I know.
Beliston: Itโs what he made in his lifetime.
Aron: I know.
Beliston closed the box.
And then he took out a scroll from his pocket.
Beliston: This is what I made over two weeks.
Gihun looked at it.
Aron: ......
Beliston: Take it.
Aron: I will not accept it.
Beliston: Take it with you when you leave.
Aron: I will not take it.
Beliston looked at him.
Beliston: Why.
Aron: It seems it doesn't apply to me.
The old man's hand stopped.
Gihun looked at that hand.
Aron: Shoulder.
Gihun said.
Aron: You did it twice then.
Beliston: ......
Aron: I didn't get caught.
Beliston: ......
Aron: It's not because the teacher is old.
Beliston had been silent for a long time.
And he placed the scroll in the box.
Beliston: Then I'll leave it here.
Aron: Yes.
Beliston: If you need it, take it.
Aron: I don't think I'll need it.
Beliston: Then that's good.
The old man placed the box on the shelf.
Gihun stayed in the castle for four more days after that.
He climbed the castle walls every night.
There was no fire in the eastern fields.
The orcs left three days ago.
Because they ran out of food.
Bedrun: Aron.
Bedrun climbed up beside him.
Aron: Brother.
Bedrun: What are you looking at?
Aron: The west.
Bedrun also looked to the west.
Bedrun: It's towards the king's side.
Aron: ......
Bedrun: It's been 24 days since I sent the letter.
Aron: You said the cavalry would take 9 days, right?
Bedrun: It's 9 days.
Bedrun placed his hand on the stone of the castle wall.
Bedrun: Ten days have passed, twenty days have passed, and twenty-four days have passed.
Aron: ......
Bedrun: They're not coming.
Gihun did not respond to that.
Bedrun: Aron.
Aron: Yes.
Bedrun: You're going, right?
Aron: ......
Bedrun: Go.
Bedrun said.
Bedrun: There's nothing to do here except count the supplies.
The lord brought up the party the next day.
The lord: Bedrun.
Bedrun: Yes, my lord.
The lord: The young lord will be leaving soon.
Bedrun: Yes.
The lord: And the children have suffered.
Bedrun: They have suffered.
The lord closed the supply ledger.
The lord: Let's have a modest one.
Bedrun: What do you mean?
The lord: Meat.
The lord: It would be good to have some mountain pig.
The lord said.
The lord: Catch a few.
Gihun counted the names that night.
There were sixty-two.
Sixty-two out of one hundred and nine.